Complete applications are due 27 March 2023. Prospective applicants must email Abadir Ibrahim (abibrahim@law.harvard.edu) before March 6, 2023, to discuss their plans and have their host organization vetted.
More information on the fellowships, eligibility and the application process is available on our post-graduate fellowship webpage.
The urgent human rights issues in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region are hugely varied and demand creative campaigns that are well-researched, well-planned and well-managed despite the time pressures that surround them.
JOB PURPOSE: To lead the identification, development, implementation and evaluation of Amnesty International’s campaigning and advocacy strategies on human rights violations in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, to deliver impact in relation to agreed priorities, utilizing political judgment and analytical, communication and representational skills.
ABOUT YOU
Lead the development and implementation of campaign strategies, ensuring campaigns result in measurable change.
Advise on, coordinate and review the contribution to relevant campaigns by regional colleagues and other programmes.
Coordinate action planning and ensure consistency with campaigning standards and optimal use of resources.
Assess opportunities for action, identifying creative and effective campaigning tactics.
Provide advice to sections and structures and external partners on the development and implementation of campaign strategies.
Responsible for ensuring there is effective communication between relevant IS teams, sections and structures and partners about projects.
Draft, review and advise on campaign materials for internal and external use, ensuring products are coherent within the campaign strategy.
Communicate AI’s concerns, positions and messages to external and internal audiences.
Contribute to planning, execution and evaluation stages of campaign projects; develop and share campaigning best practice.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The ability to adapt to fast-changing political situations in, and related to, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Experience of leading and implementing campaigns at the national & international level and the ability to lead innovation and creative approaches to campaigning.
Knowledge of working on, and in, the region and a specialist knowledge in relation to specific countries or other geographical areas in the region.
Digitally competent, with experience of digital campaigning and keeping up to date with digital trends and campaigning methodologies.
Experience of working with colleagues and partners based around the world.
Excellent communications skills in English and Russian in a fluent, clear and concise way. Knowledge of another regional language desirable
Experience of leading project teams and the ability to engage and inspire team members.
Experience of managing conflicting demands, meeting deadlines and adjusting priorities
Ability to undertake research to gather information relevant to the development of campaign strategies.
Ability to evaluate campaigns and projects and to report progress against stated objectives; experience of managing budgets and reporting against expenditure.
Amnesty International is committed to creating and sustaining a working environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential and we welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community. For further information on our benefits, please visit https://www.amnesty.org/en/careers/benefits/
After more than 10 years, Friedhelm Weinberg will be leaving HURIDOCS in early 2023. Having worked with him in person on many occasions, I can testify that his leadership has been most impressive, for the NGO itself [see e.g. https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/category/organisations/huridocs/] and the in the area of networking with others, such as the MEA and THF [see e.g. his: https://youtu.be/zDxPbd9St9Y]. In his own announcement, he modestly refers to all his colleagues:
It has been an incredible decade with HURIDOCS, working with amazing colleagues and partners at the intersection of human rights and technology. Together, we have drastically increased support to activists to leverage technology for documentation, litigation and advocacy work. We have pioneered flexible, reliable and robust software tools such as Uwazi, while responsibly sunsetting the past generation of open source software.
None of this would have been possible without the team we have built, and that was collaborating remotely across the globe well before 2020. It’s a committed, humorous and professional bunch, and I have learned so much with every single one of them, as we made things happen and as we hit walls and then picked each other up. I am also grateful to our board that brings together wisdom from leading NGOs, technology companies, the financial sector, but, more importantly, people that were generous with guidance, encouragement and critique.
It has also been a decade of many heartbreaks. From partners whose offices have been raided, that have been declared foreign agents, threatened, attacked. From wars and conflicts breaking out, affecting people we work with. From the difficulties of all we’re doing sometimes not being enough. From worrying how to raise the money to sustain and grow a team that can rise to these challenges.
It is a bittersweet departure, because it has been life-affirming – and yet it is for a perspective that fills me with warmth and excitement. For a while, I will be with our children, with the second one due to arrive in early 2023.
As I have made the decision to leave HURIDOCS, I also have felt really down and much of the stress built up over a decade manifested physically. Seeking treatment, I have been diagnosed with burnout and depression, and have been recovering with the support from specialists, friends and family. This is neither a badge of honor nor something I want to be shy about, it’s just the reason you haven’t seen much of me recently in professional circles. It’s getting better and I am grateful to have the time and space for healing.
Currently, Nancy Yu is leading HURIDOCS as Interim Executive Director, as Lisa Reinsberg as the Board Chair holds the space and directs the succession process. I am grateful to both of them to step up and step in, as well as the team, our partners and funders for a decade of working together to advance human rights.
As the search for his successor has started, please have a look at the recruitment announcement and consider applying or sharing it with suitable candidates: https://lnkd.in/e7Y7smqT
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to enforcing civil and human rights worldwide. They initiate, lead and support legal interventions to hold state and non-state actors accountable for human rights abuses.
ECCHR is looking for a candidate with an interdisciplinary profile and at least two years of relevant work experience. A deep understanding of the Business and Human Rights field and the political and legal debates around the German supply chain law is essential.
A deep understanding of Business and Human Rights discussions, especially possible interventions and legal mechanisms under human rights due diligence and supply chain laws, in particular the German supply chain law. Excellent written and spoken German and English skills are required, Spanish or French are a plusThe position is ideally to be filled by January 2023 and is limited to May 31st 2024.
Please send your written application in German or English until by email only in one attachment by 15, November 2022 to:
European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, E-Mail: info@ecchr.eu European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights Zossener Str. 55-58, Aufgang D 10961 Berlin http://www.ecchr.eu E-Mail: info@ecchr.eu
The Fellow will spend three and a half months in the Front Line Defenders office in Dublin where they will be trained in relation to Human Rights Defenders; the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders; the Mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur; the procedures and methodology of the mandate; the role of Front Line Defenders and other national and international organisations in the support and protection of Human Rights Defenders. The Fellow will then enter an internship programme at the OHCHR and will move to Geneva for a period of six months before returning to Front Line Defenders for a further three months.
The successful candidate will have excellent drafting skills and a proven ability of synthesising and condensing large amounts of information into succinct briefings. They will also have excellent administrative skills. They will have some knowledge of the UN system and international and human rights law. They must have native or native-level English and fluency in Spanish (please note we can’t make exceptions to the language requirements). They will be a recent university graduate (see note below).
Basic Terms of reference – Front Line Defenders Dublin
Provide support to Front Line Defenders’ Protection Coordinators including dealing with routine queries and correspondence with human rights defenders;
Cooperate closely with the Regional Fellows and Protection Coordinators in drafting urgent appeals on behalf of human rights defenders at risk around the world:
Input HRD-related information on the Front Line Defenders database;
Undertake clerical tasks such as data entry, collating, emailing and maintenance of the database;
Support follow-up on cases taken up by Front Line Defenders or other specific projects relating to Human Rights Defenders as requested;
Draft as requested, minutes, briefings, reports, appeals;
Basic Terms of Reference – Geneva SR
Gather information on the situation of human rights defenders around the world (with a particular focus on themes of concern identified by the SR);
In coordination with other thematic mechanisms and with geographic desk officers, and under the supervision of the HRD assistant to the SR, draft urgent appeals and communications to Governments concerning human rights violations against human rights defenders;
Support follow-up of cases;
Analyse replies received from Governments and prepare summaries for inclusion in the annual Human Rights Council (HRC) report;
Assist in the drafting of annual reports to the HRC and the General Assembly; Assist in the preparation of background materials for official missions by the Special Rapporteur;
Assist in liaising with non-governmental organizations for the smooth implementation of the mandate, as needed.
Whilst in Geneva, OHCHR internship regulations will apply.
Honorarium: €1400 per month Dublin and €1700 per month Geneva.
Please note that in order to comply with OHCHR internship regulations, applicants will need to be currently enrolled in university or have graduated from university no more than one year previous to beginning the OHCHR internship.
The Nairobi Office of Amnesty International’s Regional Office for East and Southern Africa (ESARO) is seeking an enthusiastic, and strategic campaigner with substantial experience in developing and implementing campaigns for a short-term consultancy. Under the supervision of, the Deputy Regional Director – Campaigns, the consultant will provide support to ongoing campaigns in Tanzania and Uganda whose thematic focus include freedom of expression, association and assembly, gender justice, right to health, right to housing among others and will do this using an intersectional approach.
This is a four-month contract (March to June 2022) and the consultant could be based in Nairobi or remotely in Tanzania or Uganda. Consultant profile includes: – Very good knowledge of the human rights and the political context in East Africa with specific knowledge of Tanzania and/or Uganda. – Knowledge of and experience working with the UN mechanisms, African Union institutions, sub-regional and national authorities is also essential. – Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to understand and express ideas in English. Ability to communicate in Swahili is also desirable.
To apply for the role, please provide your CV (three pages maximum) and a cover letter outlining how your skills and profile are aligned to the role as described above. Please send applications to amnesty.earo@amnesty.org 2022.
The deadline has been extended to Thursday 17 March 2022.
On 8 February 2022, the Martin Ennals Foundation published an opening for a communication officer.
The Martin Ennals Foundation is a small organization run by a highly motivated staff, Board and Jury. At different points in the year, its work will be fast-paced, intense and challenging. The Communications Officer and Programme Officer work closely together. An entry-level position to support both communications and programmatic activities will be opened in 2022. Several interns complete the team. The Communications Officer reports to the Director of the Foundation. The Communications Officer will also have frequent contact with members of the Board, with colleagues of the Jury organisations, and with MEA winners themselves. The Communications Officer will oversee service providers to the Foundation.
JOB DESCRIPTION: The Communications Officer is responsible for formulating and leading the MEF communications strategy in support of the organisation’s mission, which includes corporate communication elements and the delivery of a high-quality outreach campaign for the annual MEA ceremony. The Communications Officer provide supervision to the Programs and Communications Associate and interns. The Communications Officer’s tasks include:
Designing and delivering MEA’s corporate communications, regularly adapting social media activity, our website and newsletter to Foundation activities and current events.
Designing and delivering an outreach strategy for the annual MEA ceremony:
Overseeing the production of bespoke films about MEA winners
Collaborating with the City of Geneva in the production of marketing material for the MEA campaign (posters, flags, banners, etc.
Overseeing the production and dissemination of digital social media assets (both visual and editorial content)
Organizing a press conference to announce the winners of the Award
Producing and disseminating press material and other written and audio-visual products on our website and social media channels
Enhancing the impact of MEF’s advocacy activities with targeted communications strategies.
Monitoring and evaluating the performance of the Foundation’s communication strategy and its contributions to our annual objectives.
Requirements:
7-10 years of relevant work experience in a communication function;
Familiarity with traditional media, media monitoring and media relations;
Strong background in digital communications (professional knowledge with WordPress, Mailchimp, Hootsuite, Canva, Tweedeck and Google analytics an asset);
Fluency or professional proficiency in both English and French;
A degree or work experience in journalism, communications, political science, international relations, law, or relevant subject;
Ability to work across organizations and collaborate easily with colleagues;
Ability to multi-task and coordinate the delivery of tasks by junior colleagues, service providers, or peers;
Ability to cope with pressure and challenging work periods. Self-starters, entrepreneurs, determined and creative types are welcome to apply.
Conditions of the position
Indefinite term contract at 40%
A competitive salary
Flexible working arrangements
25 days’ vacation pro-rata
Preferred start date: mid-March
To apply, please send your CV, a cover letter, and an example of your work to info@martinennalsaward.org by end of day, Sunday March 6th 2022.
Global Dialogue seeks a Development and Communications Lead for the Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society (FICS).
FICS’ vision is a world in which people can leverage their collective power to push for political, social and economic transformation without harm, stigma, or fear. Our mission is to defend and expand civic space by making sure progressive movements and their allies have the resources they need to tackle the drivers of closing civic space – the systems, actors, and trends that sit behind growing restrictions on rights of assembly, association and other fundamental freedoms.
A small, friendly and committed team, we have received new investment that is enabling us to scale up and deliver ambitious new grant-making and research programmes. The Development and Communications Lead is a new role and will be a critical member of our core team, helping to drive and sustain this momentum.
They are looking for someone passionate about FICS’ mission and welcome applications from candidates who bring strong expertise in one discipline and a commitment to developing skills in the other, for which there would be support.
Applications are due by 9am on 3 February 2022 and details of how to apply as well as more information about the role can be found in the attached recruitment pack.
Front Line Defenders is looking for a Head of Protection.
The Head of Protection (HoP) is a critical senior leadership role in the organisation, managing a large global team and directing crucial organisations trategy on HRD protection in countries and regions. The HoP has overall responsibility for the management, sustainability, cohesion and well-being of the Protection Team. Together with Protection Team Managers, they provide and support the strategy and direction of timely and appropriate responses to human rights defenders at risk globally, ensuring holistic and effective protection support.
The HoP holds a strategic overview of the trends, challenges and responses for HRD protection, and shapes our organizational position through ensuring this is reflected in strategy, communication and representation, and our various holistic protection responses. The Head of Protection is also part of the organisation management team, directly supporting the Directors in the strategy, planning, management and evaluation of the all aspects of the organisation.
Design and organise trainings on security and protection for human rights defenders within our Shelter City programme;
Support defenders throughout their stay in the Netherlands with your knowledge of safety and security in the human rights field;
Support Shelter City alumni by building and coordinating the online community with creative and innovative activities and ideas;
Support the programme with relevant project management tasks (project development, evaluation, reporting, etc.);
Organise a broad range of events as part of the Shelter City programme, such as outreach events throughout the Netherlands and the annual International Shelter City Workshop;
Stay informed about the latest developments regarding security and protection in the field of human rights, and more specifically human rights defenders.
Your profile:
Having worked in the Global South in the field of human rights, you have a thorough understanding of the security challenges human rights defenders face and how to mitigate risks. Your enthusiasm for human rights issues translates into a hands-on and creative approach. You like to take initiative and are not afraid to try new things, engaging and mobilising people. You are a natural organiser who can work independently but also thrives in a team and you enjoy working with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Requirements:
You have an academic or University of Applied Sciences level education in a relevant field, such as international human rights, international relations, political science, or international law;
You have at least 3-5 years of relevant work experience in the field of human rights, of which a considerable part international field experience;
You have experience working on security and protection within the human rights field, preferably related to human rights defenders;
You have experience organising events, workshops and trainings (both online and offline) and online community building;
You are proficient in English. Additional languages such as French, Spanish, Russian, Swahili or Arabic are an asset.
What we offer:
Stimulating work environment in a small and dedicated team, where working hard and having fun go hand-in-hand.
Good and competitive working conditions.
Full reimbursement of travel expenses to our office building (2nd class public transport).
A part-time workplace at our office in The Hague city centre.
Justice and Peace is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from people who may bring diversity to our team.
Send a motivation letter and CV before 10 August 2021 to Suzan Goes, programme coordinator: vacature[at]justiceandpeace.nl, citing ‘Programme Officer Human Rights Defenders Team’. For more information you can e-mail the above address.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 